Tag Archives: localshows

Thursday is local night on KLRU with shows either made in Austin or about Texas. This weeks programs are:

7:00 PM Overheard with Evan Smith: Julian Bond – Civil Rights Activist
Julian Bond’s history as an activist stretches back to 1960, when he began leading sit-ins in Atlanta, and reaches across movements including civil rights, peace and advocacy for economic justice. Bond helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, held office for a total of ten terms in the Georgia General Assembly, and has also served as chair of the NAACP, a major leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center and a powerful force behind many other groups.

7:30 PM In Context Presents: Spoken 4 All
Austin’s spoken word performers take center stage as part of KLRU’s focus on the arts. Also known as “slam poetry,” spoken word is an oral performance of extemporaneous or composed pieces of free poetry. Austin has a number of venues that present spoken word, this program highlights the ranging styles of poets at an all-age program hosted monthly at Mitchie’s Gallery. This event features several artists who were involved with the Austin Neo Soul Team that placed in the 2010 National Poetry Slam.
8:00 PM Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert
A one-hour concert featuring Austin-based, internationally celebrated, choral ensemble, Conspirare and featuring solo artists to be selected. Conspirare produces world-class choral and orchestral performances that combine outstanding vocal artistry and innovative programming. Contemporary work blends seamlessly with the classics, taking the audience on a journey of innovative sound, vibrant images and thought-provoking ideas.

Haunted Texas examines unexplained phenomena by blending the past with the present, the contemporary with the historical. The show uses both modern technology and historical research to shed light on the paranormal. This combination is on display in the pilot episode, which investigates ghost sightings around Peyton Colony, an old freedman’s settlement near Blanco. The tech side is highlighted by a digital tape recorder with shielded cable and directional microphone that’s employed to capture EVPs (electronic voice phenomena). However, prior to attempting to physically document any paranormal activity, the history of the area is reviewed.

It’s this emphasis on the past that makes Haunted Texas unique from other similar shows. The producers have partnered with the General Land Office’s Save Texas History project, allowing access to original documents and rare photos. The pilot also includes interview segments with Lawrence Coffee, an area-resident for 69 years, who provides a first-hand perspective on life in Peyton Colony. Haunted Texas offers an authentic historical context to their investigation.

The show was created by Jeanine Plumer, owner of Austin Ghost Tours, and Rebel Rebel, a local production company. They are currently seeking the funding to expand the Haunted Texas pilot into a series for public television.

— David Lauderman

About the reviewer: David Lauderman is KLRU’s Director of Programming Services. A retired hoopster/gym rat, he and his wife Joie now enjoy competing in dog agility with their two border collies. Two of his personal favorite KLRU series are American Experience and Secrets of the Dead.

The pilot episode of Haunted Texas is a half-hour real life adventure that uses in-depth historical research along with technology to explore the unexplained from the past to the present.

Host Jeanine Plumer has been listening to ghost stories for over a decade as owner of Austin Ghost Tours, and plans to prove that there is no such thing as ghosts … as you believe them to be.

Each episode Haunted Texas will travel throughout Texas to investigate different stories and locations, rich in history and steeped in paranormal lore. The first episode investigates the ghost sightings in the old Freedman’s Colony, outside of Blanco, Texas. In addition to the April 8th premier, this episode will also air on Tuesday, April 20, at 10:30 p.m. and Monday, April 26, at 9:30 p.m.

In Context: Voices of Light
Airs: Sunday, December 20, at 6 p.m.; Wednesday, December 23, at 7 p.m.;
Monday, January 11 at 8 p.m.

KLRU celebrates the arts with this special focusing on Austin-area choirs.

In Context: Voices of Light features songs by Austin Chinese Choir and Capital City Men’s Chorus and the choirs from East Austin Baptist, Abiding Love Lutheran Church, The Lakeway Church and Barton Hills Elementary School. The diverse lineup illustrates that regardless of differences, the desire to express the experience of life through music is a common goal.

This special airs Sunday, December 20, at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, December 23, at 7 p.m. An encore presentation is also scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 8 p.m.

Chet Garner host ofThe Austin Daytripper will be at the REI in Round Rock on Saturday, Dec. 12, to talk about cool day trips in and around Central Texas. He’ll also be listing his top 10 mandatory day trips around Austin. The REI is located at 201 University Oaks Blvd, Suite 1100

For more than 15 years, E. J. Dionne has shared his opinions about politics, the media and the role of religion in public life with the The Washington Post’s readers. He also serves as a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, writes popular books about politics and frequently shares commentary with NPR, This Week and Meet the Press. Join us to learn more about the latest news from Washington, and the latest opinions from Dionne.

From the well-known landmarks to the completely obscure dives and hideaways, host Chet Garner takes viewers on an adventure throughout Central Texas on The Austin Daytripper. In the premiere episode, Chet travels to Waco; home of Baylor University, Dr. Pepper, and exceptional mountain biking right in the middle of the city. If you thought Waco wasn’t worth the trip, better think again.

The first African slave arrived in Texas in 1528, but it took until June 19, 1865 to end slavery in Texas and the United States. The anniversary of that day is celebrated as a holiday– Juneteenth. And in celebration, 2008′s Juneteenth Jamboree at 8 p.m. explains the history of blacks in Texas, and commemorates the namesake of the annual Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands.

2009′s Juneteenth Jamboree at 8:30 p.m. takes a moment to consider a song that is heard every year at this occasion, “The Negro National Anthem.” Also several young essay winners tell why Juneteenth is relevant today.

We all said it couldn’t be done — and by we, I mean the unwashed, unapologetic know-it-alls who make up the Capitol community: the collection of ink-stained wretches, amateur pundits, professional kibbitzers, and other self-anointed insiders who profess to understand the various moves on the chess board well before they occur. Well, my friends, what we have here is a new king, and the conventional wisdom has been checkmated. On January 13, the opening day of the 81st session, two-term Republican state representative Joe Straus of San Antonio emerged from near-obscurity to become the 75th Speaker of the Texas House. In doing so, he toppled the man who everyone said — was certain — would continue in that leadership post for as long as he desired: Tom Craddick of Midland, an immensely powerful, relentlessly partisan, impressively strategic and tactical pol whose eternal reign was assured, even many Democrats admitted, by legendary survival instincts. Feared more than loved, Craddick ruled his roost these last three sessions in ways that both enhanced and diminished his standing, along with that of his party, which saw its majority dwindle to only one seat following last November’s elections. His opponents — the so-called ABCS, for Anybody but Craddick — tried and failed to oust him in 2007, and they might have missed their change again if not for the remarkably synchronized efforts of elevent Republican insurgents, who improbably settled on 49-year-old Straus as their standard-bearer, and the overwhelming majority of Democrats, who got in line behind him. Who is Straus? What most people know is that he hails from a storied clan with deep ties to the business wing of the Republican party, that he himself is thought to be an ideological moderate, that he’s less opposed to abortion and more supportive of gambling — a family business interest — than most of his conservative brethren, and that he’s a consensus-builder and with a genial disposition that stands as a stark comparison to Craddick’s grim affect. More we’re sure to learn in the weeks and months ahead.
A conversation with the man of the hour, Joe Straus, on this edition of Texas Monthly Talks.